100 Theme Drabbles
by Kaname-Nakajima
Summary: a series of drabbles for the 100 theme challenge. they are mostly from Jyabura's pov, telling the story of his past. they're mostly shore and mostly in chronological order. enjoy 3   note: the Genres are a mix depending on the drabble
1. Foreign

**27. Foreign  
**Jyabura's p.o.v

I clung to his leg as he took me there; to the small island I was supposed to be living on from now on.

I was scared. It was all different, so different from everything I'd ever known. This man, the one that bought me here, I didn't even know his name but still I clung to him. He was the only thing that was familiar to me in this strange, alien place.

"Jyabura." I looked up at him. His short hair was slicked back, his dark eyes cold. "This will be your now home." He told me. His voice was blank, uncaring.

I panicked.

"No, you can't leave me here!" I was desperate. "I can't understand what they're saying. Please…" Tears started running down my cheeks, I was so scared of this place.

Everything had changed, in only a couple of days my entire life had been turned upside down.

"Don't cry." He told me, kneeling down to my level. "You're a member of the CP9 now. You'll be trained here, become strong."

"But, but how can I if I can't talk to them." I was scared, so scared of loosing the only think I knew, the only thing from my homeland.

"You'll learn." He stood up and took a step away. I quickly grabbed the leg of his trousers.

"Please. Don't go." Arms grabbed me from behind, I looked down at them, his skin was so light compared to mine, to anything I had ever known.

I fought against the grip, the tie in my short ponytail coming loose. The man moved away from my grip, I was loosing him.

"No- NO!" I cried out, calling for him to came back. The man holding me was saying something I couldn't understand and that only made more tears come.

I didn't want to be here.

I didn't want to be alone

…

I wanted to go home.


	2. Tears

**26. Tears  
**

They took me to a room, it was huge, bigger even then the tiny hut my family had lived in before. It overwhelmed me, everything was so massive. The tower I was in, the forest, even the bed was huge.

I sat down in a corner, bought my knees to my chest and cried. I felt so empty, alone. I didn't have anyone. Why did he do that, why?

* * *

_My father and I walked alone in the forest. I was hungry, so hungry. He hadn't had more then a bowel of rice in days._

_My father had a dark look in his eyes but I didn't think anything off it. I looked at the trees around me, I had long since lost my way but father knew where he was going, everything would be fine._

_We stopped under a large tree. It was a pine, one of the few trees I knew by name and sight._

"_Stay here Jyabura. I'm going to go into the town then I'll be right back. you say here."_

_I was a little scared of being left alone but if father said he'd be back he would. "Alright father. I'll wait."_

"_Good boy." He stood up and took a few steps into the forest._

_He didn't even look back._

_That was the last time I saw him._

_

* * *

_

I sat in the dark room crying. I still didn't want to believe it, I still denied it.

Why didn't he didn't come back. Why?

I cried until I had no more tears and still then I sat in the corner, glaring at the wall opposite me.

I hated this place.

Hated it!

I would get back home, I didn't know how but I _would_ go back home.


	3. Abandoned

**38. Abandoned  
**

I sat in the forest all alone, waiting for him to come back.

Father told me to wait so I waited but… he _was_ taking a long time and the forest was kinda scary. I kept hearing noises, I didn't know what they were but still I stayed.

The forest started to get colder as the sun started to dip below the trees. I rubbed my arms to keep warm, my vest didn't do much to retain warmth.

Hurry up father.

I got up from where I was sitting and cast my eyes around the darkening forest.

"Father? … I want to go home…" I was scared and hungry and I wanted to go home.

I wanted to see mother and sleep in my bed. I was so scared and lonely.

I couldn't help but let out a sob.

"Father… Come back…" I tried to make out his shape in the now dark forest. I saw nothing.

"Did I do something wrong?" I sobbed.

"W-was I bad?" silence.

I didn't know what to do.

I was all alone.


	4. Words

**80. Words  
**

"Go away." I mumbled. A child, only half my age, had come into my room. He was just standing there staring at me.

The boy said something in a language I couldn't understand, no surprise there.

"I said go away!" I snapped at him, why I bothered I didn't know, I knew he couldn't understand me.

The boy looked as if he was going to leave but then he came closer. I turned away from him, I didn't want to see anyone. I just wanted to be alone.

Anywhere but this place.

I jumped as a small hand touched my shoulder. The boy had come over culching that soft toy of his.

It looked a little like the oxen of my homeland but this toy had black and white spots. I briefly wondered what it was before I looked up at the boy.

He looked curious, a little confused even.

"What do you want?" He shook his head a little, looking confused, like he was trying to figure something out. He said something else and I just stared at him.

After a moment he repeated the last little bit: "Blueno."

What the hell was he trying to say?

He waited a moment before saying it again. It was a strange sounding word, nothing like what I was used to.

I hesitated but then repeated the word. "Broonow?" God that was a hard word to say.

I tired again. "Bloono?" It still wasn't quite right but I couldn't tell what I was doing wrong.

The boy grinned and nodded. He put a hand on his chest. "Blueno."

It suddenly clicked.

A name! it was his name!

I touched my own chest. "Jyabura." I let myself smile for the first time since I'd gotten to that godforsaken island.

The boy, Blueno, looked confused, he shook his head.

"uhh." I thought then touched my chest again. "Jya." He smiled and repeated it. I nodded happily.

Blueno held out the plush toy he was holding. "Cow." … Cow? What the hell was a cow?

He pushed it into my hands and after a moment I held it up, looking at it. It was a strange looking creature. I had certainly never seen anything like it before.

After a while I held it out for him to take, he just shook his head and pushed it back.

… a gift? He was giving it to me as a gift? I only wished I had something I could give him in return. Wait, I _DID_ have something.

I lay the _'cow' _on my lap and took off the loose necklace I had been wearing. It was just a pretty shell I had found at the beach once. I'd stabbed a hole in it with a knife and put it on a string and worn it ever since.

A little hesitantly I held it out to him. It was all I had.

He took it from me with wide eyes and a grin. He looked at it closely, turning it over and running his fingers over the shell, one side smooth the other corrugated. He seemed fascinated by it, like he had never seen a shell before.

Blueno looked up at me excitedly, I couldn't help but smile. I gave him a nod and he put the necklace on, still grinning happily.

Blueno touched his own chest and said his name then he did the same with mine. I nodded to show I understood but then he said another word.

"….. What?" I thought about it. Him, me and this other word…

He touched my arm and I looked up from my thinking. This time he held out the necklace was still wearing, touched the toy then repeated the word again.

I got it.

Friend! That's what he's been trying to ask me, whether we were friends.

Pointed at myself and then at him before saying my word for friend then his own. I gave him a nod to tell him that I understood and that yes, we were friends.

A friend. I had found myself a friend in this hell hole.

This new place suddenly didn't seem all that bad.


	5. Through the Fire

**89. Through the Fire**

"Do you think the boy can handle this?" The Director asked, flicking through papers for a new mission that had just come in.

"Yes, I believe he can." Stated the tall man before him. "He is a very promising student sir, the best we've had in a long time." Spandine looked through the papers again, comparing the boy's file to the mission info.

"That may be the case but I don't want the most promising student getting killed on his first mission." His voice was firm but at the same time he _was_ interested to see how skilled the boy was.

"It's a textbook assassination mission, it doesn't seem like it but it's safer for him then any of the information gathering missions we have open." This was true, tall the intelligence missions were a high risk class at that time where as this snuff mission was an in and out.

"This is going to be one hell of a first mission for the boy." Spandam looked over at the file. "Jyabura." Up until then the boy had been a faceless, nameless trainee.

"Baptism with fire sir. Babying him won't do any of us much good. He needs to see what his life is going to be like." The man argued his case well.

"And if he gets injured?" Spandine watched the man over the top of his reading glasses.

"I'll take the punishment." The Director sighed then red over the mission details once more.

"Alright, make sure he's ready for departure first thing in the morning." He held out the details and the man took them. "And make sure he knows what he's getting into."

"Yes Director, thankyou sir, you will not be disappointed."

"I had better not be now go." The man bowed deeply then departed to tell the boy he would have his first mission as a CP9 agent.


	6. Waiting

**55. Waiting**

I sat below deck of the ship, alone in my cabin. I looked down at the papers and maps spread on the desk before me, recalculating the route I would take. Every so often I rubbed out something and changed the route before changing my mind again and changing it back to the way it was before.

It was for my first mission and my teacher had warned me it _had_ to go well. I was so damn scared I would stuff it up. At that point I didn't fear for myself, just getting scolded when I got back. I had too much confidence to even consider getting hurt, it had never happened before so I didn't fear it.

I studied the maps again under mild light if the steadily swaying lantern. I finally decided that it was risky but it was the best I was going to get it. I let out a sigh and got up.

"Long day tomorrow." I told myself, falling into my native language. We were to dock in the early hours of the morning then I was to be briefed, a long day of information gathering and more planning before I would go straight into the mission. God I wished I had another day to prepare.

I climbed into my bunk, rubbing my eyes. I was so tired and I knew I would have to get up in a couple of hours. I lay down and tried in vein to get to sleep. Eventually I worked out that it was the anticipation and the sick feeling in my stomach keeping me up.

After a long while I got up and went over to the desk again to go over my plans one more time. After that I paced around the small room, trying to do something, anything to keep myself occupied. I wondered briefly if I would be like this before every mission or just this one. I was sure of one thing though; I would never get used to the waiting. That I knew would never get easier, I just hoped the nerves would wear off before we docked.


	7. Blood

**17.** **Blood**

My heart pounded in my chest, I felt as though it would crack one of my ribs as any given moment. I was terrified that the wound would give me away.

Yes, I'll admit it, I was scared. I didn't want to fail this mission and I had only one chance to get this right.

Slowly I snuck to the end of the corridor, listened for a long moment before peaking around the corner. I quickly hid again, he was there, the guard, just as I'd predicted. I crouched down and pulled out a small hand mirror, using it to see around the corner, looking for an opportunity to make my move.

By pure chance the guard looked the opposite way, either hearing something or looking for something that wasn't there. I took the chance. I quickly darted across the hall and into a door, closing it almost silently behind me. I listened, the guard didn't move, good, he hadn't seen me.

The room I was in was an office, I knew it would be empty, it was only used during the day, never in the small hours of the morning. I moved through the office, making an effort not to walk into anything, it was extremely hard, there was no moon tonight, it was next to pitch black.

I released the latch on the window and climbed through onto the small ledge outside. That's when I made my first mistake.

I looked down.

four stories up, it wouldn't have been too bad if not for the street lights I could see far below. pressing my back to the cold stone, eyes clamped shut, I collected myself. I took a deep breath and opened them again, my heart was still beating a mile a second but I could deal with the height. I would have been more assured though, if I had learnt the Rokushiki technique geppou but I hadn't, so I would have to live with it.

The light was on the next room, something I hadn't accounted for, it was almost two o'clock in the morning, the target was supposed to be asleep. Another thing I had to work around.

Using the mirror again I peaked into the room, there he was, sitting at a desk with his back to the window. There was still a chance I could pull this off still.

I watched him for a little longer, her was writing something and fiddling with papers, judging by his posture, movements and that he kept rubbing his eyes I judged that he was half asleep. I was thankful for this, it made my job a little easier.

Keeping a close eye on his movements I snuck across the ledge, into the light. Sliding the thin blade if my knife between the window panes I unhinged the latch with a little clink.

I watched the target, ready to dodge out of sight if he looked as though he would turn. Thankfully he didn't.

So far the mission was going very well, not exactly as I'd planned by my teacher had told me that happens all the time, I hadn't understood it then but I did now. No matter how much you accounted for something unforseen would always be there.

Ever so gently I pushed the window open and stepped inside, he didn't have a clue. I may not have learnt any of the Rokushiki yet but I knew how to move silently and that's just what I did. I snuck across the room until I was within a couple of feet of him.

'I _will_ complete this mission!' I told myself as I adjusted my grip on the knife. 'I _will_ complete it and I _will_ do it well.'

I stepped forward, covered the man's mouth with a hand and plunged the knife into his chest. The blow was perfectly placed, piercing his heart but that's when it all went wrong. the target had flailed a little when he felt the hand and knocked the lamp on the desk, it fell to the stone floor and shattered.

My second mistake.

My mind hadn't really even registered what happened but my body was reacting. I wretched the bloodstained blade from his flesh and let the body drop slouch down into the chair. I didn't even have a moment to think before the guard burst in, alerted by the noise.

He took a second to take in the scene before raising his gun towards me. I barely had a chance to move before he fired, ripping the silent room apart with a loud crack. My speed had served me well but not well enough. The hot iron ball ripped into my upper arm, burying itself there when it hit the bone. Luckily for me the gun was an older model, a one shot flintlock, it gave me a little time.

I shot around the desk and forward, towards the guard whom was desperately trying to reload. My arm burnt, the worst pain I had ever felt but I knew I would have to ignore it, for the moment at least. I aimed for the chest while the man was trying to reload but he saw me coming and abandoned his gun, dropping it. He twisted around to his left, I managed to get him but not well enough. My knife caught his side, just under his arms, sliding a deep line there. it was a horrible mistake on my part but I had to think fast.

The guard bought his right fist down from above me, too slow. I moved to my left, ducking under his arm. He didn't have a hope now. I quickly bought my knife up, not even aware that I was moving, all the training had payed off. I sliced his throat open, his hop blood spraying onto my face and exposed arms. I watched him fall to his knees, his heart pumping the life out of him. He gripped at his neck but it was no use, he died in a matter of seconds.

My hands shook as I watched he man die, it all hit home. These marks, the targets, the missions, they were people, people with lives like me, people just doing their jobs like this guard. I dropped the knife and just stared, shivering. I'd taken a life, not just one but two within a matter of seconds. I started to seriously doubt my resolve, was I really doing the right thing?

I was snapped out of my thoughts by approaching voices, more guards, they had been alerted by the gunshot. The pain in my arm became more apparent as I was dragged to reality but again I forced myself to ignore it. My mission wasn't over yet. The mark was dispatched but the mission was yet to end, I had to get out.

I took a step towards the window before my teacher's words rang out loud and clear in my memory. _"Never, EVER leave ANYTHING behind."_ I glanced down at the knife, it was stained with the blood of two people now, the blade shone red in the light but as much as I wanted to I couldn't leave it. I grabbed the hilt and took off towards the window.

I went out the window, almost loosing my footing on the narrow ledge, I didn't have time to even close the window behind me, I had to move fast. I sidled along the ledge to the next window, I was about to climb in when I realised it would be impossible for me to get out the building the day I'd come in.

I had no idea what to do.

I kept moving along the ledge as quickly as I could, trying desperately to think on me feet. Then I saw it, the answer, my escape. There was a three story building next door to this one, if I could only jump the gap- I didn't have time to finish my thought, a bullet whizzed past me, they had seen me. I rushed to the corner of the building, yelling behind me and another couple of misaimed shots.

From where I was I moved around the corner, safe from the shots for the moment. I looked at the gap between the buildings in front of me, it looked larger here then it did earlier but it was my only chance.

I pushed off the ledge with all my strength, launching myself across the gap, hanging in the air for a moment I was sure I wouldn't make the jump but then through some miracle I stumbled onto the next roof, only barely though.

Panting, a huge grin on my face I revelled in my victory, small as it was. There was a clunk and a fresh bullet hole in a tile next to me. Alright, celebration over, I had to move.

I ran up the tiled roof and down the other side, sheathing my knife as I ran. The momentum easily carrying me over the next gap I leaped, the next one I wasn't so lucky. I leapt the void but misjudged the distance, I didn't realise until it was too late. I managed to grab the gutter of the next building but I couldn't hold it for more then a second. My left arm was barely functional because of the iron lodges in it, both my hands were slick with blood and slipped right away.

I lost my grip.

With a loud gasp I fell. I had no idea what to do, I would have only seconds before I hit the ground and broke only my legs if I was lucky. I was running dry, no solutions came to mind, I prayed to whatever gods would listen that I would find some way out of this and it seems as though one of them answered. I was snatched out of the air by the strong arms of a tall slender man.

"Teacher." I gasped. He landed softly and darted through the alleyways using soru, myself still in his arms. Soon he ducked into a small cottage, it was the headquarters of the operation. He put me down in the dark of the room and watched the streets through a minute gap in the curtains.

"Did you complete the mission?" He asked coldly.

"I- I- … There, there was a guard, a- and-"

"Did you get the mark?" his voice was firm, commanding.

"Yes." I answered in a small voice.

The man let out a sigh and looked over at me.

"Good, get yourself cleaned up, we'll have to leave tonight." I looked down at my arms, they looked as though they had glistening patches of black on them, it took me a long moment to realise, it was blood. A small whimper escaped me and then a little sob.

"Jyabura." I looked up suddenly, as if the voice was prosecuting me. My teacher was standing before me, looking rather intimidating to me in my near broken state.

A hand landed gently on my head and stroked my head back.

"You did a really good job. I'm proud of you." His voice had taken a change, it was smoother, more soothing. "now go have a wash then I'll take a look at that arm." Tears glistened in my eyes but I made a huge effort of holding them back. I nodded then left the room.

I had conflicted feelings. What I did was wrong, I'd taken a life but at the same time, it was right.

'The mark had been an enemy of the government, he was dangerous, he had to be taken care of' I told myself. 'And besides,' I managed a small smile. 'I made teacher proud of me.'

That would be it, my goal, not justice or the want to kill, no, it would be to make my teacher proud of me again.


	8. Gray

**55. Waiting**

I sat below deck of the ship, alone in my cabin. I looked down at the papers and maps spread on the desk before me, recalculating the route I would take. Every so often I rubbed out something and changed the route before changing my mind again and changing it back to the way it was before.

It was for my first mission and my teacher had warned me it _had_ to go well. I was so damn scared I would stuff it up. At that point I didn't fear for myself, just getting scolded when I got back. I had too much confidence to even consider getting hurt, it had never happened before so I didn't fear it.

I studied the maps again under mild light if the steadily swaying lantern. I finally decided that it was risky but it was the best I was going to get it. I let out a sigh and got up.

"Long day tomorrow." I told myself, falling into my native language. We were to dock in the early hours of the morning then I was to be briefed, a long day of information gathering and more planning before I would go straight into the mission. God I wished I had another day to prepare.

I climbed into my bunk, rubbing my eyes. I was so tired and I knew I would have to get up in a couple of hours. I lay down and tried in vein to get to sleep. Eventually I worked out that it was the anticipation and the sick feeling in my stomach keeping me up.

After a long while I got up and went over to the desk again to go over my plans one more time. After that I paced around the small room, trying to do something, anything to keep myself occupied. I wondered briefly if I would be like this before every mission or just this one. I was sure of one thing though; I would never get used to the waiting. That I knew would never get easier, I just hoped the nerves would wear off before we docked.


	9. Introduction

**1. Introduction****  
**

I stalked the corridors of the tower as per usual. The director had called to see me, I didn't much want to see him but it was an order so I didn't have much of a choice. I skulked along, shoulders low, looking as if I didn't want to be bothered.

After a short while I heard a door shut behind me a little ways back, I ignored it.

"uhh, excuse me!" A somewhat timid voice called out, it was a child's voice.

I turned to see who it was. There was a small boy quickly trotting up the hallway towards me, his short wavy hair bobbing as he jogged to catch up to me.

"Umm, I'm supposed to see the Director but I don't know where to find him…" The boy had a folded piece of paper in his hand, I knew it would be the same as the one I had in my pocket. Orders from the Director.

"You a new recruit then?" I asked him, my accent heavy. I hated it, it was the only thing besides my look that really set me apart from the others.

"Yes. I just arrived today… are you another student here?" God this kid spoke well. What was he? 6 maybe?

"Yes… my name is Jyabura." I started walking again, we were both heading to the same place, may as well walk together.

"Lucci… hey, wait for me." He ran a couple of steps to catch up. "Where are we going?" I briefly took the piece of paper out my pocket to answer his question.

I wasn't too talkative, I didn't much want to see the Director. I didn't dislike the man, not at all, I just didn't want to go on another mission, not after the last one.

"Ohh, you have to see the Director too. Is he nice? I've never met him." I shrugged.

"He is not exactly nice but he is not a bad guy either." I kept walking, not wanting to talk much, the kid was nice and all but I wasn't in the mood.

"Alright." We fell silent as we walked together.

"How did you hurt your arm?" his voice was curious and his eyes locked on the bandage wrapped around my arm.

"I got shot in a mission." This kid was making it very hard to ignore him.

"Wow. You're going on missions already? When do you think I'll be going on them?" I bought a hand up and scratched the bandage, it felt suddenly rather itchy.

"I don't know."

"… I like your hair." God kid, shut up.

"Thank you." My ponytail sat level with my shoulder blades. It always got me a lot of attention, not that I wanted it.

"Why don't you talk much?" I rolled my eyes.

"I don't like kids."

"ohh… ok." He fell silent for a little while.

"… You never used to speak English did you." Was it _that_ obvious?

"No." I sighed. "I had a bad day. I do not feel like talking at the moment." The kid looked a little sad.

"Alright… I'll be quiet." God dammit, why do I feel guilty now!

"… Another time. I promise I will talk to you another time but not now." That seemed to cheer him up a fair bit.

"Then will you tell me about where you come from?" His voice rang with happiness and curiosity. I didn't much like children but this one? I could see myself getting along with him next time we met.

"Yes, if you want to know about it." I spotted a large, all too familiar door up ahead.

"There it is." He looked up at the door and dropped behind me a couple of steps, he was scared, no surprise there.

"Come on Lucci." I walked up to the large double doors and pushed one open, walking in without hesitation.


	10. Mother Nature  gia

**22. Mother Nature - gia  
**

Lucci walked alone in the forest that surrounded the large tower that was his home. He had really taken to having walks since he arrived. The peace and solitude of the forest really calmed his young mind.

The boy was only 8 years old and he was already making good progress in learning the Rokushiki techniques. He was fast catching up the older trainees Jyabura and Blueno. The CP9 director himself had even told Lucci was a very promising student.

As Lucci walked he was broken out of his thoughts by a high pitched squeaking noise. He followed the sound, curious as to what was making it.

After a short time he found the source of the racket. There was a small chick on the ground beneath a tree. Lucci knelt down and looked at it, it was the first time he had seen one so young.

It has a tiny pink body with patches of light yellow feathers over a lot of it. He could see the large dark bulges of its eyes under the near transparent lids and he found himself rather fascinated about how long its legs were.

"Did you fall out the nest?" He asked the chick which continued chirping and squirming. Lucci looked up into the tree; it only took him a moment to spot the nest in the lower branches of the tree.

"Ok, I'm going to take you back up now." He gently picked up the small chick and put it in his chest pocket before nimbly jumping up and grabbing the lowest branch. He pulled himself up and onto the branch, careful not to hurt the chick in his pocket.

He climbed up another branch then sidles along it until he got to the nest. There were another two chicks in it, they looked much like the first but with much darker feathers. He carefully took the chick out his pocket and placed it in the nest with the other two.

"There you go, back home." He watched them for a moment , the light chick was smaller then the other two. After a moment he jumped out the tree. He walked away a few steps then looked up at the nest. He saw an adult bird, the mother he assumed, flutter into the nest. He smiled and kept walking.

He was only a couple of meters away before he heard the loud crying of the chick again. He went back to the tree again and he found the chick upside down in the grass again. Lucci trotted over to it and knelt down next to it.

"Did you get pushed out?" He looked up at the nest again then picked up the chick. He didn't know what to do. If he put it back it would only be pushed out again and they weren't aloud to have pets at the tower… he didn't know what to do.

He found his resolve and held the chick close to his mouth, whispering to it.

"I'll look after you but you'll have to be really quiet when we get to the tower." He put the chick in his pocket and started back to the tower.


	11. Keeping a Secret

**53. Keeping a Secret**

I was heading in the direction of Lucci's room. As of late the director had been using me as his damn messenger boy. I hated it.

I walked up to the door and knocked loudly. With my Zoan hearing I picked up a bit of a crash from inside and then Lucci's hushed voice talking before he rushed over to the door.  
"Yes?" He said as he opened it, he looked a little flustered.

"I was told to tell ya there will be a big training session tomorrow." I became aware of another sound coming from the room, a muffled squeaking noise, it was quiet even to my heightened hearing.

"Its a mock mission and all that" I said distractedly, listening. "… What is that?" I walked past him into the room.

"What's what? I don't hear anything…" He was nervous, I _knew_ he could hear it too. He was hiding something.

I walked further into the room, following the sound.

"I-If that's all you had to tell me then you can leave." His voice shook a little as he spoke, ye _really_ didn't want me to find what he was hiding.

I followed my ears to a box Lucci had sitting on his desk.

"Don't!" He protested. I didn't listen, I opened the box. Inside Lucci had made a nest out of an old shirt he had shredded and sitting in the middle was a young chick.

I took the small bird into my hands and bought it up, studying it, Lucci silent all the while. I knew a bit about birds and I could tell this little guy wasn't in a good way.

"Lucci…" he jumped a little at the sound of my voice. I sighed.

"You know we can't have pets here." He didn't say anything.

"The chick isn't well, you should have left it in the nest."

"but-" he said in a small voice.

"But nothing Lucci." I cradled the chick in my hands, warming it. "You _can't_ look after it."

"But it wasn't in the nest when I found it." He spoke quickly, looking on the edge of tears.

"Why didn' ya put it back in tha nest?" my voice was harsh. Lucci had to know this was wrong.

"I tried." His voice wavered a little and he kept his eyes on the floor. "but the mother kept pushing it out."

I went quiet for a long while, I could feel the chick squirming weakly in my hands. I let out a long sigh and sat down at the table.

"you really tried?" I looked over at him, sizing him up.

He nodded, eyes glistening.

"The chick isn't well." I informed him. "When did you fine it?"

"Early this morning." He was very quiet, looking defeated.

"Have you fed it at all?"

"I- I tried." He looked at the table and I noticed a few things scattered across it, some small insects, a worm, some seed and a lice of bread with a little missing among them. There was even a glass with a little milk in it.

"Go down to the kitchen and get me a mortar and pestle, a bit of water too." He stood silently, looking up at me, unbelieving.

"Go, now!" He snapped out of it and rushed from the room.

Once the boy was gone I opened my hands and had another look at the chick. Before I'd come to this island I worked a little with my father who was a fisherman. He often used turns it fish and every so often we had a chick that we had to care for so I knew what I was doing. It _had_ been a while though.

"Now let's have a look at ya." The chick was a pigeon. that much I could tell. It hadn't eaten in a while, even before Lucci said he's found it and it was cold, the boy hadn't been keeping it warm enough. Its movements were weak, I doubted that it would make it through the next day.

"Hang in there." I said quietly to the bird. "I'll get ya fixed up."

It wasn't too long before Lucci hurried back into the room, with the things I'd asked him to get.

"here." his voice was wavering again as he placed the items on the table. "… does this mean you're going to … to help me?"

I placed the chick in his hands.

"Yeah. I am." I dumped some of the food stuffs Lucci had collected into the mortar and added a little water.

"It's too cold." Lucci jumped as I spoke, he had been concentrating on what I was doing.

"Get that lamp over there and take the shade off it." I ground the contents of the bowel into a rough paste then ground it further still.

Lucci placed the chick carefully in the nest then did as I ordered.

"You have to treat it like its still an egg until it gets more feathers." 'If it lasts that long.'

I spooned out a little of the mixture and picked up the chick again.

"You'll have t feed it like this every two hours for a couple of days." At first the chick rejected the spoon but then when it realised it was food it started to gobble it up quickly. I gave it a little more before giving the chick back to Lucci.

"Feed it a bit more." He nodded and very gently copied what I'd done.

After a little looking around I found a pair of scissors and cut a groove out of the box. The lamp fit in it rather nicely. I snapped the switch on and it lit up, the globe radiating a little warmth.

"Is it done?" Lucci nodded. The chick had started to refuse food. "Good. Put it back in here. I know someone that can look after it while were training tomorrow." I stated with a sigh. "but you wont be getting much sleep tonight which is something you'll be needing for tomorrow."

The boy nodded.

"There's enough there for another two, three feeds but you'll have to make some more after that."

"Jyabura…" I looked up at him. "… Thank you." He said, voice small. "You… you won't tell will you?" I ruffled his hair a little.

"I wont tell but id you do get caught I don't know a thing." I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't going to take the rap for this one. "You just look after it alright." He nodded with a grin.

"Come see me if you have any problems." I turned away and headed for the door.

"Really Jyabura, thankyou." I waved the thanks off.

"See you at training tomorrow, early start, remember that." I left without waiting for a reply. I sourly hoped the chick would survive, it would be a shame for it to die, especially now that it was getting the right care.

'Ohh well.' I thought. 'Guess Lucci's got himself a pet now.' I couldn't help but let out a smile.


End file.
